Edward J. Vogtman, retired accountant
Edward Joseph Vogtman, 70, of Lewes died Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, of pneumonia following a severe COVID-19 infection.
Known as Ed by most but called Eddie by his parents and siblings, Edward was the fourth of five children of Theodore and Helen Vogtman, born Dec. 31, 1950. He grew up in Hillside, N.J., started a family in Carteret, N.J., and lived with his family for 30 years in Hamilton, N.J. He retired with his wife Susan to Lewes in 2017.
Ed worked hard and created opportunity for himself from an early age. He graduated from Hillside High School in 1969 and immediately began working full time. He had an interest, and pursued a career, in accounting, putting himself through night school for his bachelor’s degree while working at Bristol Meyers, which is also where he met his future wife.
Ed worked as an accountant through the digitization of the field, and recognized early on that he’d need to adapt. He moved into accounting systems implementations and reporting, which carried him through the bulk of his career, including stints at Wagner, Nabisco, and Merrill Lynch before he moved into the last phase of his career with the New Jersey state government.
Outside of work, Ed carried a passion for gardening and landscaping - a passion he inherited from his grandfather - throughout his life. He always had the most pristine lawn and flowerbeds on the block (much to the consternation of his children, whom he habitually recruited to help maintain them). He loved to travel, loved the beach, loved to dance, loved dipping sauces and fancy jelly and strawberry ice cream and maximizing credit card rewards points through often baffling balance transfer schemes.
Ed valued his family above all else, and took seriously his responsibility to provide for them more opportunity and comfort than he was given. He treasured time with his children and grandchildren, his siblings and in-laws, his nieces and nephews, his friends new and old. He offered help whenever help was needed. He was quick to laugh when loved ones were near, and that laugh was infectious and memorable.
Edward Vogtman will be missed terribly. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan; his children Marc (Julie), Leigh (Marissa) and Eddie (Sara); and his granddaughters Alice, Willa and Andie.
An outdoor memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m., at Lewes Beach, 206 Bay Ave., Lewes. If you wish to send cards, please send to Susan Vogtman at her home. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Beebe Medical Foundation’s COVID Relief Fund (www.beebehealthcare.org/donate-funds-covid-19-relief). Your donations will support the amazing staff at Beebe Healthcare, who cared for Ed during this terrible time, and who continue to man the front lines of this ongoing health crisis.
